“So, what you’re telling me is that, no, you’re not going? Just because you’re scared?”

The Korean flinched again. It wasn’t as hard as she had expected, but hearing the absolute disappointment in her roommate’s voice cut deep. She looked to her right to see Momo laying down beside her on their bed. Jeongyeon squeezed her hand, as if to chide her.

“Hey, don’t say it like that, Momoring,” she pouted, “That makes me sound like a coward.” Her pout grew when Momo finally faced her.

“Well, that’s what it sounds like to me!”

“You know why I’m afraid!” Jeongyeon looked back from her roommate to the ceiling, staring hard at the glow-in-the-dark star stickers Momo had stuck there. “It came too quick. When Tzuyu went with her, it felt like I had ample time. Next thing I knew, it was your turn! Time went by too quickly and I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t found anything at all.”

“Not even when you went out scouting?” Momo recalled Jeongyeon being out the entire day when it was her turn to take Mina to the restaurant, in search of the perfect place to their younger friend. “You came home at midnight. You must have found something during that time.”

“Well, yeah, I did.”

Momo watched Jeongyeon bite her lip. “Ok? And why are you panicking right now then? Take her to the place you found!”

“I can’t.” 

Momo rolled her eyes. “Jeongyeonnie, drop the dramatics. Why can’t you take her to the place you found?”

Jeongyeon sighed dramatically, making Momo roll her eyes again. “It was the aquarium.”

Momo gasped just as dramatically as Jeongyeon had sighed. She sat up on her elbow. “Yoo Jeongyeon! You did not! You gave Nayeon your date idea?!”

“Yes! And shut up! You’re so loud!” Jeongyeon grabbed the pillow under her and pretended to smother the Japanese girl, who in turn just laughed and shoved Jeongyeon away. “That loud idiot wouldn’t shut up, and she seemed terrified to take Mina to a boring date! So I just- I just gave it to her!”

Momo snatched the pillow and smacked Jeongyeon with it, making the blonde’s hair stand up in multiple places. “Dummy! You’re terrified too, and no one here is gonna give you their date ideas!”

Jeongyeon soothed her wild hairs and laid back down. She knew Momo was right. Nayeon may have been panicking about not having a date idea, but so was she. Now, she was the only one worrying about coming up with a bad date idea. “I’m just gonna tell her that I’m sick. You know, to keep from wasting her time.”

“I think you’re being more dramatic than Nayeon.”

“No I’m not!”

“Yeah, you totally are.” Momo shook her head in joking disappointment, her pearly teeth making an appearance. “I can’t wait to tell Nayeon.”

“You will not!” Jeongyeon kicked Momo, but since they were still laying down side by side, she hardly touched Momo’s leg with her foot. 

“Jeongyeon,” Momo said, shifting the mood from joking to a bit more serious, “Imagine how sad she’d be if she went on a date with everyone except you.” Jeongyeon was about to say something self-deprecating when Momo interrupted. “And don’t say something self-deprecating about yourself because we both know Mina loves you. She loves all of us, Jeongyeon.”

Jeongyeon opted to sigh in response.

“Take her to a garden or something. She’s been helping Chaeyoung grow her strawberries lately and she’s been buying a few flowers to grow during the winter. She’s really into flowers right now. Maybe that would be good.”

Jeongyeon thought about it. She’d noticed that too, actually. Mina was really getting into flowers lately. The girl took a bunch of pictures of her celosia flowers and sent them to the group chat, the amount of “!!!!!!!!” at the end indicating she was excited about them finally growing to look like they had flames at the top.

“I’m assuming that’s a yes. ‘Cool, Momo, you’re so awesome, I owe you a foot massage, see ya later!’” Momo imitated her friend, who didn’t react like she usually would. “I can hear it now. I know, I’m a genius. Now go! It’s 1pm, a good time to take her to a nearby garden. See ya!” She shoved an unsuspecting Jeongyeon off the bed and watched her fall to the floor.

“Ow! Momo!”

Mina watched in amusement as Nayeon stretched her neck in an attempt to kiss Dahyun, who was, in turn, stretching her neck to make sure Nayeon would never have the pleasure to.

“Let me kiss you! Dahyun! I’m serious!”

“No! Nayeon, you don’t have to kiss me to apologize, really!”

“But my shoes made you trip! I caused you to get a cut on your nose! Take my kisses, please!” Nayeon adamantly pulled Dahyun closer, much to the younger girl’s dismay.

Dahyun whined and begged Mina to help her, but Mina just laughed and shook her head. This would be Dahyun’s solo battle. 

Mina’s smile faded when she heard the door open, but it reappeared when she saw who had come in. It was Jeongyeon, looking all shy and smiley.

That’s right, Mina thought. Sana and Jeongyeon are the last girls… Could this mean-?! 

Mina’s heart began to beat excitedly. Jeongyeon was here to take her on a date! Where would she take her? Jeongyeon was incredibly intelligent and thoughtful, so whatever she chose would definitely be just as amazing as what her other friends had chosen!

“Hey, guys,” Jeongyeon greeted, her eyes landing on the wrestling match going on in the center of the room. “Oh, hey, what’s going on?”

“Baby Dahyun won’t! Let me! Kiss her!” Nayeon said in short breaths, noticing just how good Dahyun was at keeping her at bay. “It’s the only thing that I can think of when it comes to apologies! Nothing better than that, right, Jeong?”

Jeongyeon grimaced. “Uh, yeah, sure, Nayeon.”

Just when it seemed like Dahyun was doomed, just when Nayeon was in cheek-pecking distance, there was a thump and sharp scream coming from another room.

“BUG!”

Mina looked at Jeongyeon and both simultaneously mouthed ‘Sana.’

Dahyun and Nayeon stopped and jumped to their feet at once. Dahyun grabbed Nayeon and pulled her along. 

“Ew, where are you taking me? I’m not going to kill that bug! You go alone, Dahyun!”

Dahyun simply ignored their oldest member and dragged her along, subtly saluting Jeongyeon as they exited the room. Jeongyeon smiled discreetly, knowing her friend knew why she was there. Dahyun would always be there to help her. 

Mina giggled, patting the empty space on her bed. “They’re crazy,” she joked, glad to see Jeongyeon visibly relax as she sat beside her.

“Yeah, Nayeon especially. Hopefully she apologizes correctly to Dahyun. Heard she took a nasty fall thanks to her shoes. I always told her to pick ‘em up and put them somewhere where they’re not a hazard, but I guess all those years of nagging at her were for nothing.”

“Oh, she already did, don’t worry. Dahyun was in my room talking to me when Nayeon came in to change. She apologized first, and when Dahyun shrugged it off saying ‘It’s not a big deal’, she started trying to kiss her.” Mina rolled her eyes playfully. 

Jeongyeon laughed awkwardly. “Should have figured.”

“So,” Mina changed the subject, “What brings you to my room?” She knew why she was here, but she was trying to help a nervous Jeongyeon. It seemed like the girl was more or less scared of asking her out.

“Oh, me? I–“ Jeongyeon interrupted herself to cough a little. “I, well, know you like plants. You have that cute little cactus on the windowsill and- and it made me think of this really cool garden nearby. Well, it’s not really nearby. I- I mean... I was thinking maybe you’d like to go?” She said it all in a rush and there were a few stutters here and there, and maybe it was too fast, maybe Mina didn’t hear a word she said, maybe Mina was too busy right now and didn’t have time to-

“Of course I’d love to go with you!”

Jeongyeon’s body was tingling. Of course she didn’t actually expect Mina to say no, but hearing her sound so happy as she said yes to her date idea felt like she flying through the stars. 

“Really? Cool!” Jeongyeon got up and started twisting around, patting her jeans until she found an envelope in her back pocket. She straightened it and handed it to the younger girl, who took it and flipped it over to check it out. She opened it and found a sheet of paper with a bunch of pretty flowers drawn all over it, with two girls in the center of it holding some more. “Momo helped me make this...for you.”

Mina gazed at the workmanship. It was gorgeous, and it was clear that they had both worked hard on it. The flowers seemed to have been drawn by Jeongyeon, and the two girls by Momo. “Jeongyeon, this is so cute!”

Jeongyeon blushed, a sweet smile spreading across her face. “Thank you.”

Mina opened her bedside drawer and pulled out a tape dispenser. Not long after, she had taped the adorable drawings to the wall, next to her other favorite gifts from the girls. Jeongyeon seemed to think of it as an honor, as her chest puffed up. “I love it so much, Jeongyeonnie.”

Jeongyeon held out a hand toward Mina. “I’m really glad. So, let’s go! This is the perfect hour to visit the garden!”

Mina took it and let Jeongyeon help her up. “Is it cold today? Maybe I should change into something warm?”

Jeongyeon checked her phone. “Well, it’s not too cold. And the garden we’re going to has some indoor areas, so honestly, nothing too heavy would be good!”

Mina bit her lip before she spoke again. “Have you...told the managers yet? That we’re going out?”

“Actually, yeah, since we’re taking the subway. Is that fine, or would you like to take the van?”

“No! It’s fine! It’s better to take the subway,” Mina said, clenching her teeth. She couldn’t believe that today she wouldn’t be going anywhere near the weird van. It was almost like a dream. “It’s better like this.”

As soon as Mina’s eyes landed on the sign above their heads, she stopped in her tracks and clutched Jeongyeon’s arm, spooking her a bit. “Jeong! Jeong! No way!”

Jeongyeon beamed at her and checked out the sign that got Mina excited. 

서 울 식 물 원

Seoul Botanic Park

"That’s it! That’s where we’re going! Do you like it?”

Mina grinned from ear to ear and continued to walk. “Are you kidding? I heard this place is beautiful!”

Jeongyeon tried to stifle the smile, but it was hard to keep it from growing. Mina was just so cute when she was this excited.

The moment they arrived at the botanic park, Mina and Jeongyeon thanked the managers, who in turn gave the girls the usual instructions.

“Okay, ladies! You know the rules! Please keep your masks on, and don’t wander off too far.”

Jeongyeon thanked the managers as well and put her mask on. “Are you guys coming along too? Or are you leaving?”

One of their managers cracked a smile. “And miss out on seeing the garden and park? No, we’re coming too. Don’t worry, we won’t be close. You two enjoy each other’s company.”

“Alright, see you later then!” Jeongyeon held her arm out to Mina, who took it graciously. “Let’s go, then, Minari. There’s so much stuff to see!”

And she was right. The moment they walked through the glass sliding doors of the garden section of the park, Mina felt like she was in a completely different planet. All around her, large trees and tall plants could be seen looming over the smaller ones. 

The garden was actually much bigger than the pictures online conveyed, and this fascinated Mina; it looked like there was a lot more to see that she had first imagined. She didn’t even really know where to look! There were beautiful specimens all around her, every single one of them attracting her eyes.

There were sidewalks to guide visitors around the garden, with a few signs every now and then to say where each fork in the path led.

Jeongyeon pulled out a small camera (that Mina recognized as Nayeon’s) and motioned for Mina to pose by a giant plant with even bigger leaves. Mina giggled and posed for the picture.

“Perfect! Now pretend to use one as an umbrella!”

Mina did as she was told and soon Jeongyeon scrambled over to show Mina the pictures she had taken. 

“Look, you look so pretty in this one!” Jeongyeon pointed out when she got to the picture where a leaf was above Mina’s head. “Wow, that’s going on my laptop!”

Mina blushed a bit. She knew Jeongyeon used her laptop as a photo album and always put her favorite pictures on there, so...hearing that was really nice.

“Your turn,” Mina said as she snatched the camera and pointed at the area she wanted Jeongyeon to stand. The older girl complied and smiled the biggest smile she could muster, throwing up the mandatory peace signs.

After looking over all of the pictures Mina snapped, they continued on, knowing that this was only the first part of the garden. There were definitely going to be a lot of perfect spots that they would want to take pictures in.

Mina felt like a bobble head, in the sense that she was turning left and right, up and down constantly, not wanting to miss a single thing. This whole place was gorgeous and Mina’s eyes wanted to drink it all in.

A few minutes into the next themed area, Jeongyeon whooped. “Hey! Yesss! Look, Mina, this is the exact spot I wanted to show you!” They hurried to a place that looked like it was themed after a desert. After excitedly looking around at the cool design of the place, Mina’s eyes landed on one particular, lone cactus.

“Jeong, that looks exactly like mine,” she said as she absentmindedly walked to it. Squatting near it, she learned that it was indeed the exact same type of cactus. “Look! It’s my cactus’ cousin!”

Jeongyeon chuckled. “Sure is, except this one-“

“-has a flower on it!” Mina noticed it as soon as Jeongyeon mentioned it. Right there on its side there was a beautiful pink flower that was the shade of a shy blush. She squealed and pulled out her phone to take a picture.

“Can’t wait until yours looks like this,” Jeongyeon whispered as she watched Mina gush over the tiny thing. It was just as small as Mina’s, but the one in the garden looked a bit healthier, greener and with stronger-looking needles. Her eyes returned to Mina, who was pouting.

“I don’t think that’ll happen. At all.”

This surprised Jeongyeon. “How come? Yours is not as green, sure, but don’t be sad about it.” Jeongyeon patted Mina’s back, hoping it would help, because Mina’s tone had shifted a bit into a more sad one.

“It’s not just that. I genuinely think I’m a terrible plant mom.” Mina’s pout deepened and she looked at Jeongyeon sadly. “I’ve had my cactus for a while now and it hasn’t grown in the slightest! And not just the cactus, either. Every other flower I’ve had withered and died or just stayed the same. Sometimes I wonder if I should just give up on growing plants.”

Jeongyeon thought about her words. She knew the Japanese girl was a bit of a perfectionist, constantly stressing herself out trying to be exactly what people expect her to be like, but she didn’t think it would extend to gardening.

“Don’t you and Chaeyoung grow plants together? Those are doing pretty well.” Jeongyeon remembered the strawberries that grew on one of their window sills. 

“If you’re talking about the strawberries,” Mina replied, practically reading Jeongyeon’s mind, “then it doesn’t count. All I do is water them. I think all the credit goes to Chaeyoung for choosing the soil and making sure they have the nutrients they need.”

A couple stood nearby, wanting to see the cactus too, so Mina quickly got up and apologized. She led Jeongyeon to a separate area, still near the arid section of the garden. 

“Well,” Jeongyeon restarted the conversation, scratching her chin a bit, “okay then. Maybe you and I can look up some tips on how to grow a cactus. Maybe you’re not giving it enough sunlight, or maybe you’re watering it too much. Have you tried seeing if maybe that’s the problem?”

“Hmmm. No, actually, I haven’t,” the younger admitted. It hadn’t really crossed her mind that it could be something easily fixable, something that she could look up online.

“You can ask Chaeyoung on tips too, if browsing online doesn’t suit you,” Jeongyeon added, clearly thinking about this deeply. Mina was thankful to have someone like Jeongyeon, who wasn’t mocking her for being so upset about this whole situation.

“You’re right, Jeongyeon.” Mina felt a little foolish. She had Chaeyoung, the expert gardener in the group, right there, and she never thought about asking for help. 

“Of course I am,” Jeongyeon joked, shaking her head as if to make fun of herself for saying that. “But hey, don’t let things like this get you down. Even things like this, which seem trivial to others, are important to talk about. Being bad at something can kill your self-esteem, so...don’t internalize things when you feel like you’re failing, okay?” 

Mina looked at Jeongyeon and swore she and Tzuyu were almost the same person, because the baby of the group had said something similar on their date. “You know, Tzuyu said something kinda like that too.”

Jeongyeon shrugged. “Well, I did raise her myself,” she joked again, and gave Mina that goofy smile she wore sometimes. Mina absolutely loved it.

“Great minds do think alike. Hey, let’s go back to the cactus,” Mina suggested, “I want to take really good pictures of it with Nayeonnie’s camera.”

“Sure! Let’s go!” Jeongyeon shouted as she got a head start. “Let’s print out some pictures too! You know, put them next to your cactus and let it see it’s cousin!”

Mina liked that idea, and as she ran alongside her friend, she giggled at the thought of her baby cactus looking at the pictures and being motivated to grow a bit bigger. It would look ten times prettier with a pretty pink flower growing on it.

Thankfully, the area was devoid of any people, so Jeongyeon and Mina successfully took about 20 pictures of just the cactus alone, and double the amount of pictures of the surrounding area, because Mina loves deserts. 

“So full of life,” she explained when Jeongyeon asked why. “People imagine empty, dry deserts and no water, and think ‘This is a terrible place to live’, but they couldn’t be more wrong! Lots of types of plants and, of course, people, live in the desert, adapt to the climate and even thrive.”

Jeongyeon had never thought of it like that, but she was right. She listened to Mina talk a bit more about deserts and their ecosystems, deciding that Mina gushing about her interests was the best Mina ever. The twinkle in her eyes as she talked about deserts being home to many important minerals, Jeongyeon considered a gem that must be protected.

Everything happened in a flash. Before she knew it, something bloomed in her heart. Jeongyeon dared call it love. 

Of course, she’d always loved Mina. But this date, the openness Mina displayed when it came to her struggles, the warmth of her giggles, all of it was the sun and soil to the flower in Jeongyeon’s heart.

There was a flash that stunned Jeongyeon suddenly. She blinked, confused, and turned to see Mina checking the screen of the camera.

“What happened?”

Mina smiled at the screen then turned it over to Jeongyeon. She saw herself looking like she was in deep thought, but a smile was firmly planted on her face. “You looked especially beautiful with that smile. I had to capture it, or else I’m afraid that my memory of it wouldn’t do it any justice! What were you thinking of, Jeong?”

“Well,” she began, debating on whether she should tell her the truth. She decided on doing so. “To be frank, I was thinking of you. And of how much I love you.”

Mina pretended to look over at the other pictures on the camera roll, but Jeongyeon didn’t miss the blush creeping down her neck and the smile growing on her face.

“I love you too, Jeongyeon,” Mina shyly admitted. She looked into the older girl’s eyes, and they seemed different, but Mina wasn’t sure what it was. It almost looked...familiar. Like she’d seen it many times, but not in a boring way.

Jeongyeon got up and held a hand out to Mina, effectively making her lose her train of thought.

“Let’s keep looking at the garden, cutie. The walkway’s entrance is over there,” she gestured to an elevator nearby, “and I heard it’s one of the best parts.”

Mina took her hand and let herself be led to an elevator, which took them to an upper floor that consisted of a raised walkway that gave everyone a new perspective of the garden.

“Hey,” Mina spoke after a while, ending the silent minute they had spent as they leaned on the rails of the walkway. “I’ve been buying a few seeds to grow flowers during the winter season. You know, despite myself. I was going to grow them alone and just beg to the celestial beings that they don’t wither, but I was thinking…”

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to grow them together?”

Jeongyeon really liked that idea. She wasn’t too into gardening, always standing by as the others tried it out, but this seemed like a good opportunity to see if it could become a fun hobby. “Of course, Minari! I’d love to! I can’t promise I’ll be super reliable with watering schedules and such, but I’ll do my best!”

Mina scoffed playfully. Jeongyeon? Not reliable? “You’re kidding, right? You’re the most responsible person I’ve ever met.”

Jeongyeon tsked in disagreement, her insecurities rearing their ugly heads. She wondered if maybe it was best to push them back down, but if Mina was open about her own insecurities, Jeongyeon felt it was only fair to do the same. “I guess in some aspects that’s true. But if you really think about it, ultimately you’ll realize I’m not that reliable at all.”

Mina made a face. “You’re just like Nayeon, you know that?”

Jeongyeon made a face right back, making Mina laugh hard. “First of all, ew. How are we alike at all?”

Mina shook her head, looking at the trees under them. Controlling her laughter, she said “You guys always assure everyone that you’re less than what you are. You’re the two oldest members! You have the most wisdom of us all.”

“Just because we’re hags?!” 

Mina tried her best to keep the conversation serious, she really did, but Jeongyeon was not helping her at all. She bent over to laugh at Jeongyeon’s outburst, accidentally bumping into a few tourists passing by. Between fits of laughter, she apologized to them, probably seeming insincere, but she couldn’t help it.

Jeongyeon was laughing too, in the way that Mina always found amusing. She was letting out the laughs in short bursts, wide open in that dorky way that was very endearing.

They finally stopped laughing after a good two minutes, only because they would stop laughing but then look at each other and laugh again. Mina swore that she hadn’t laughed this hard since Jihyo’s date. If Jihyo and Jeongyeon ever became a comedy duo, they’d take over the world, she was sure of this.

Jeongyeon wiped a tear. “I’m so sorry, Minari, I didn’t mean to joke while you were trying to tell me something.”

Mina shrugged it off. “It’s honestly fine. It was funny as hell, so you’re forgiven.”

Jeongyeon chuckled away the last remnants of the laughter and sighed before asking “So what was your point, exactly?”

Mina struggled to remember what she said before her friend’s joke. She couldn’t remember what it was, so she moved on. “Basically, I was trying to let you know that you’re dependable, period. No matter what you say.”

“I guess. Maybe I’m just insecure right now. You know, I’m going to be completely frank with you, this date was a last minute decision.”

“I know,” Mina said, not looking at Jeongyeon.

“Huh? What do you mean? How?” 

“Momo and Nayeon told me everything.”

Jeongyeon frowned and growled. “Those two will be the death of me. What did they tell you?”

“The same thing.” Mina recalled the message Momo had sent her before Dahyun had come into the room. “Momo told me that you gave your date idea to Nayeon, and then Dahyun came in, with Nayeon also coming in not too long after. I asked Nayeon about it, and she said that it was most definitely true. I suspected it anyway, because during my date with Nayeon, you texted me, telling me to take care of her, since she’s terrified of water.”

Jeongyeon grimaced. “So you knew from the beginning I was unreliable. Damn.”

Mina shook her head. “Not at all. You had a date idea but helped Nayeon and gave it to her. Sounds like you were responsible from the start, and friendly because you gave your idea to someone else.”

Jeongyeon waved her off. “Okay, but in general. I’m definitely not dependable in other aspects. Nayeon is the face of the group, in charge of representing us in the media and all that. Momo is in charge of dancing, and even makes choreos that exude power. Sana is basically the leader when it comes to Japanese promotions, because she excels in charm and charisma. Jihyo is the leader, the biggest responsibility there is. She organizes everything, makes sure we’re all okay, and way more. And then there’s...me. The only older member that isn’t special.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Jeongyeon. You know that.” 

Jeongyeon grunted in response. “There’s nothing good about me, either. I’m just Jeongyeon, and that’s it. Not responsible for anything because the company knows I’m not really good at anything.”

“Jeongyeon. C’mon, you know that you have to focus on the positives. Dahyun came into my room today just to tell me about what you did the other day for her, when it was her turn to take me to the picnic.”

“What did I do?” Jeongyeon looked at Mina curiously. 

“So you really don't remember? She told me you have her a pep talk that changed her perspective on herself. Said she was down and insecure about going on a picnic, but you told her that no matter what, it would be a good idea.”

“Actually, all I told her was that you wouldn’t hate her idea. Not a big deal.”

Mina tapped her chin. “If someone else had given that exact same advice to Dahyun, would you still think it’s ‘no big deal’?”

Jeongyeon blushed. Mina was right, of course. If someone else had told Dahyun that she needed to trust herself with her ideas, Jeongyeon would have probably considered it awesome advice. 

Embarrassed, Jeongyeon lowered her head. After shrugging, she peeked at Mina. “You think it’s enough to help everyone with encouraging words?”

Mina nodded. “Dahyun said that that’s what she likes about me. She likes it when I encourage other people with my words. She said sometimes she felt like she couldn't focus on anything except the thing that was bothering her and that it could’ve distracted her during a performance, but I always talked to her, listened carefully and gave advice. So don’t worry, Jeongyeon. You’re perfect even if you’re not given some big responsibility.” Mina leaned in close and wrapped her arm around Jeongyeon’s.

Jeongyeon swallowed thickly. She was good enough, according to Mina.

“Think about it this way,” Mina quietly said, “you’re like a desert that compares herself to a forest. You don’t have as much water, and that’s okay, the creatures in deserts don’t need as much water. And of course you don’t have as nearly as many trees, because not everything that lives in you needs trees to live, only a few. You’re my desert, Jeongyeon. Beautiful, underestimated, and full of many surprises.”

A baffled Jeongyeon looked over at her, who was still looking around the garden from the view they had, that peaceful gaze still on her features. She kissed her forehead when she saw no one was around, and Mina laughed and squeezed Jeongyeon’s arm tighter.

If Mina thought she was perfect as she was, then Jeongyeon was. Period.